


The Last Night

by loveoftheimpossible



Category: Night In The Woods (Video Game)
Genre: Canonical Death Mention, Cult Mention, Friendship, Future Fic, Gen, Major Spoilers for Night in the Woods, Melancholy, Minor Spoilers for Longest Night, Minor Spoilers for Lost Constellation, Moving On, One Year Later, Post-Canon, Post-Game(s), Recovery, Yuletide 2017
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-18
Updated: 2017-12-18
Packaged: 2019-02-16 05:43:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13047681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loveoftheimpossible/pseuds/loveoftheimpossible
Summary: One year after the incident in the woods, Mae returns to Possum Springs for one last Longest Night.





	The Last Night

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kaesa](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaesa/gifts).



> This story takes place after a playthrough where you get Bea's ending, Mae becomes friends with Lori and Germ, Mae hears all of Selmers' poems, and Mae retreives the tooth from the crawlspace.
> 
> Written for [Kaesa](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaesa) for Yuletide 2017. This is my first time writing a NitW fic – and because of that, I overplanned and had to cut some things out due to lack of time – but I hope you enjoy it! It was a real treat to get to write and I'm quite glad that I got matched with you. Happy Holidays and Happy Longest Night from me to you!

‘Thanks again, Angus! Happy Longest Night!’ Mae called, waving wildly at the bear’s modest car as he drove away.

She had been dropped off at the Snack Falcon, since Angus had wanted to pick up a coffee for the drive back to Bright Harbor. It was a little before three; Mae figured she should surprise Bea at the Ol’ Pickaxe now rather than have her trudge needlessly to the train station later on. She quickly got her bearings, walking past the familiar buildings that were now either empty or renamed.

‘Hey Killer!’

Mae tensed immediately, halting her progress down the sidewalk. It took a moment to process, but as soon as she recognized the voice, she turned, facing the direction it had come from – above her.

‘I thought I told you to stop calling me that.’

The young mouse giggled before jumping down from her perch on someone’s fire escape, landing a few feet away from where Mae stood. ‘I’m working on a movie, you know,’ she stated, forgoing an apology.

Mae crossed her arms, watching Lori readjust her jacket that had rode up during her fall. ‘Oh yeah? About what?’

‘This cat who, like.... _seems_ normal, but she isn’t. She’s actually from hell and came here through an interdimensional portal. Oh, and she can kill people with her stare,’ Lori explained eagerly.

‘What, like this?’ Mae shot her best menacing glare at the girl, who grinned in return.

‘Yeah, exactly like that!’ she exclaimed.

‘Make sure you write a disclaimer at the beginning that it’s based on a true story, then.’

Lori stared at Mae for a moment; if Mae hadn’t known any better, she’d describe the look as starstruck. ‘Um, so you’re home for Longest Night, right?’

‘Yeah, I am,’ Mae answered. ‘Then I’m heading back to Durkillesburg. Shoebox sweet shoebox and all.’

Lori nodded, almost looking sad. ‘No time for squishing, I guess. Well, if you need me, I’ll be down by the train tracks.’

‘See you around, Lori,’ Mae said, heading towards the direction of the town center.

‘You better be back for the premier of _Stare-Way to Hell_!’ Lori yelled after her.

Mae turned around, walking backwards down the sidewalk. ‘Why not call it _Nightmare Eyes_?’

Lori grinned, pulling out the small journal Mae had given her last Longest Night and quickly scribbling in it. Mae smiled to herself as she continued on, glad to see the young girl was keeping herself busy.

The streets were more crowded than usual, everyone rushing around to get last minute preparations for that night. She passed a number of neighbors and ex-classmates, all bundled up and looking frazzled. Thankfully, nobody else had stopped to talk to her; it was one of the rare times she was glad for the bad reputation that still followed her from her younger days.

‘BeaBea!’ Mae shouted, flailing her arms in the direction of the shape locking up the Ol’ Pickaxe.

Getting closer, she could see the tip of a cigarette glowing deep orange, the heat coming off it visible in the chilly air. Bea turned as she buttoned her coat, a small but sincere smile forming. ‘Hey Mae.’

Before Bea could move out of the way, Mae wrapped her arms around her friend, squeezing hard even as keys prodded into her rib cage. ‘Happy Longest Night!’

‘How’d you get into town so fast?’ Bea asked, managing to free herself from the tight grip of the hug. ‘I thought you said you’d be getting in on the 3:30 train.’

‘Angus dropped me off a little while ago,’ she answered, spinning on the tips of her toes. ‘You didn’t tell me he got a _car_!’

‘I forgot, to be honest. A lot’s been going on lately.’

Mae stopped spinning and realized the smile that had been on Bea’s face was gone. ‘....Is it your dad again?’

Bea took a long drag from her cigarette, shoving her keys into her pocket with the other hand before exhaling. ‘He’s in inpatient care. You know how he gets around the holidays.’

‘You could’ve called,’ Mae responded genuinely, ears drooping slightly.

‘You had finals. It’s fine anyway,’ she said with a shrug. There was a long pause, the pair watching smoke curl towards the sky. ‘So.... Pierogies? My treat. Mrs. Miranda forgot to ask for change on her last furnace payment, so I’m calling it a holiday bonus.’

~ • ~

The booth they were seated at in the Clik Clak Diner looked worse than normal, a set of deep scratches in the faux leather that looked straight out of a crime scene. Mae briefly considered the worst before watching a small possum across the way in the midst of a tantrum drag his nails across his seat.

Bea stretched her legs under the table, bracing her combat boots against one of the sturdy supports. ‘That half day felt longer than most of my full ones.’

‘Isn’t it always busier around the holidays? As soon as something has to be closed, everyone has everything go wrong. I’m pretty sure there’s like....a law about it or something,’ Mae stated, crossing her legs.

‘Oh yeah, the Treat Overworked, Underpaid, and Extremely Tired Workers Like Shit Around the Holidays Because You Don’t Know How to Fix Your Bathroom Sink Law. I remember that one from AP Economics,’ Bea responded dryly before taking a sip of her coffee. She made a face as she set the stained mug down. ‘I forgot how bad the coffee was here. Who ever heard of a diner with bad coffee?’

Their waitress placed a large plate of pierogies in the center of the table before handing each of them a small empty plate. Mae could feel her mouth water; she hadn’t eaten since before getting on the train early this morning and she was suddenly very aware of that fact. ‘Anything else y’all need?’

‘Yeah, can I get some sour cream please? Oh, and some applesauce too!’ Mae piped up, causing the waitress’ crooked smile to droop slightly. She turned away, motioning for someone across the room to come help her.

Mae’s eyes grew wide as she saw the familiar figure covered in an apron half jog towards the table, balancing a small metal tray on her hand. ‘Selmers!’

‘Who?’ Bea asked, looking between Mae and the bear.

‘It’s _Selmers_ , Bea!’ Mae repeated excitedly.

Selmers smiled, placing two metal dishes on the table. ‘Hey Mae! Haven’t seen you in awhile. You didn’t drop out again, did you?’

‘No, not this time, haha. I’m just home for the holidays,’ Mae explained. ‘You got a job though!’

‘Yeah, thankfully. Turns out my new boss has a nephew who comes to the Poetry Society sometimes. Right time, right place, am I right?’

‘Right!’ Mae answered before gesturing to Bea. ‘Oh, this is Bea. I’ve probably told you about her?’

Selmers nodded. ‘Oh yeah, the road trip buddy? Nice to meet you,’ she greeted, shaking Bea’s hand.

‘Likewise,’ Bea said, forcing an awkward smile.

‘Welllll, I better head back to work. Never know when another delinquent like you will want some applesauce,’ Selmers said with a chuckle. ‘Oh, do you wanna hear a poem?’

‘Of course, dude!’

‘Alright, alright.’ Selmers cleared her throat. ‘ _This diner car / Takes your taste buds so far / Pierogies smell like a dream / Now all you need / Is some sour cream._ ’

Mae clapped, nudging Bea’s arm until she clapped as well. Selmers beamed at them both before trotting back towards the kitchen.

‘So.... How do you know her again?’ Bea asked, watching Mae pile her plate high with pierogies.

‘Oh, we’re friends,’ Mae said. ‘She would read me poetry when I was home. She’s really cool.’

‘If you say so.’

They ate in relative silence for the next few minutes, Mae’s mouth too stuffed with the homemade dumplings to make conversation. After a short while, Mae decided to take a small break before finishing off her plate.

‘Hey Bea? Have you seen Germ around?’ Mae asked, tucking her legs under herself. ‘I didn’t see him at any of his usual haunts earlier.’

‘Oh. Germ left town.’

Mae swallowed nervously. ‘Like, left town or _left town_?’

‘He moved to Stantontown,’ Bea clarified. ‘He wanted to put all the c-u-l-t stuff behind him, I think. I don’t blame him, really.’

‘Me neither,’ she agreed, letting out the breath she had been holding. ‘I’m glad he made it out of Possum Springs alive.’

Bea nodded, taking the last bite of her pierogi before setting her fork down. ‘Speaking of which, how was Bright Harbor?’

‘It was....different, I guess?’ Mae began between bites of her food. ‘I barely saw Gregg, actually. He’s got two jobs – he’s a bike messenger for some company in the morning and a bartender at a dive bar at night, he said – and he was only home for lunch.’

‘Yeah, I heard from Angus that Gregg’s always busy now,’ Bea recounted. ‘That must suck.’

‘It did, but he seemed more focused? I think he’s on his meds again.’ Mae pushed the few remaining pierogis onto her plate. ‘Angus seems to be doing really well though.’

‘Oh yeah, he works as a librarian now at some school last I heard. Got the job after offering to revamp their online cataloguing system.’

Mae nodded. ‘He also told me he’s the advisor for the astronomy club and the newly formed QSA.’

Bea raised her eyebrows. ‘Now that sure is a change,’ she said. ‘I’m glad he’s able to, like, help those kids. It’ll be good for him too, to be honest.’

‘Yeah, he seems like he’s happy now he’s away from his family.’ Stuffed, Mae piled the now empty plates on top of each other. ‘I wish I talked to him more often. It was really nice seeing him.’

‘Why’d he bring you all the way back to Possum Springs?’ Bea inquired.

‘He wanted to return a few books Mr. Chazokov had lent him, I think.’ Mae shrugged. ‘He might’ve just missed it here, though.’

Soon enough, their waitress returned with the check, a fresh blotch of coffee cooling on her blouse. Mae pretended not to see the large bill Bea pinned under her mug – which had to have been double what their meal actually cost – before they scurried out onto the street towards Bea’s car.

~ • ~

‘Sooo....got any plans for tonight?’

‘Your mom invited me to Longest Night dinner, actually,’ Bea answered, turning down a winding road. ‘I guess she heard about my dad through the grapevine. It was either that or eat cold Chinese food in the empty apartment, and you know how persistent your mom can be.’

Mae was silently relieved that her mom had already done the dirty work of asking, since she never knew how to bring the holidays up. ‘Oh, cool! Not the my mom pressuring you part, the part that you’re coming to dinner, ha.’

Bea parked the car outside of the gates to the Possum Springs Cemetery and pulled out the flashlight she had stored in her glove compartment. Mae scooped up the paper bag that had been sitting on the floor into her arms, climbing backwards awkwardly out of the warm car and into the sharp air. The pair navigated past ice and sinkholes, the small bright beam illuminating their way as they went. After a few minutes, they arrived at a patch of headstones, all dusted with a thin layer of snow.

‘Hi Granddad,’ Mae greeted a headstone with a small wave around the bag. Carefully, she set it down on the ground and rummaged through it, finding a small cloth bag and a beach shovel.

‘He was always really cool,’ Bea recalled from somewhere behind her. ‘He snuck us into that horror movie that one time.’

‘Oh my god. _Night of the Killer Field Mice,_ ’ Mae remembered. ‘We had nightmares for, like, a week after that.’

‘What are you doing anyway?’ Bea asked, watching her friend dig a small hole into the hard dirt, just a few inches deep.

Mae held up the tiny bag. ‘Found a tooth in the crawl space.’

‘Ew?’

‘I figured he’d wanna have it.’ She placed the bag into the hole and covered it with the cold dirt. ‘Happy Longest Night, Granddad.’

Mae brushed the dirt and snow from her knees, grabbing the bag again before the pair moved a few graves down to find a well taken care of headstone. Bea quietly removed the snow from the top and placed a white tea light there, lighting it with her lighter.

Mae held the bag out, letting Bea fish out a small wreath to place at the foot of the marker. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t know,’ Mae apologized. ‘Even though we weren’t close back then, I still should’ve attended the funeral.’

‘It’s fine,’ Bea said evenly. ‘You didn’t know.’ A strong gust of wind blew through the trees, extinguishing the candle. She sighed, tucking the tea light into a snowbank to cool.

Bea returned to the bag, pulling out the last item – a large prayer candle in a tall glass. The pair walked a few steps to a small clearing, both dropping to their knees.

‘Is this from your mom’s church? You know you’re going to hell for stealing from a church, right?’

Mae dug another small hole in the snow, in which Bea placed the candle in. ‘I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I get a free pass to heaven because my mom is, like, one of God’s biggest fans.’

Bea fished the lighter back out of her pocket, igniting the pure white wick. They sat in silence for a moment.

‘We miss you, Casey,’ Mae finally said, drawing a C.H. into the snow in front of the candle. ‘We should’ve told your parents.’

‘They already know,’ Bea stated. ‘You just know when those things happen. It’s like....I can’t describe it. But they know, even if they won’t admit it to themselves.’

‘Do you think Casey knows where the Ghost Star is?’ Mae asked, causing Bea to let out a tiny scoff.

‘The Ghost Star? From that story when we were kids? I’m pretty sure it doesn’t exist, Mae.’

Mae shrugged, putting her hands into the pockets of her jeans. ‘Well, if anyone would find it, it’d be him. Right Casey?’ The prayer candle blew out, causing the pair to shift back slightly. Mae grinned, punching Bea’s arm in excitement. ‘See?’

‘It was the wind,’ she denied. ‘The same thing happened with my mom’s candle.’

‘No way,’ Mae argued. ‘If you light a candle in a graveyard, the only thing that can blow it out is a ghost.’

Bea stood up, gathering their items. ‘Sure, it was a ghost then. Just help me clean up, I’m starting to not be able to feel my toes.’

~ • ~

By the time they had pulled in front of the Borowski family home, Mae had just finished doodling Casey’s ghost holding hands with her and Bea. She quickly tucked her journal away before Bea could explain yet again why ghosts aren’t real.

‘Well, we’re here,’ Bea stated, turning the car off. There was a brief moment of silence before she spoke again. ‘Mae, I know this is hard, and if you wanna talk about it –‘

‘It’s fine!’ Mae interrupted, already feeling tears prick at her eyes. ‘My parents have to sell the place because I messed up.’

Bea sighed, putting her keys on her lap. ‘Mae, we live in a late capitalist hell. If anything, it’s our shitty economy that’s to blame, not you or your mental health.’

‘Mom hates me,’ Mae said, putting her head in her hands. ‘She doesn’t say it, but I know deep down she really does.’

Gently, Bea placed her hand on Mae’s shoulder, trying to pull her out of the spiral she could already see occurring. ‘After my mom died, we had to sell our house too. I’m not gonna lie, it fucking sucked. But you wanna know what my dad said? Despite how messed up he was about everything, he said _it’s time to make new memories somewhere else_.’

Mae sniffled, rubbing her eyes against her sleeve before looking at Bea. ‘I’m gonna miss it here, Bea.’

‘And that’s okay. You take all the good from this place around with you every day.’ Bea gave her a small smile. ‘Now, fix that face of yours so we can have some of your mom’s cobbler already.’

After few moments of staring at herself in the mirror until the glossy look left her eyes, Mae finally swung open the door and hopped out onto the sidewalk. Once Bea locked the doors, the pair made their way up the walkway and into the house.

‘Mom, dad, your favorite daughter is hoooooome!’ Mae called from the doorway.

A split second later, a commotion erupted from the stairwell, a voice being heard over metallic jingles and crinkling paper. ‘Mae, honey, is Bea with you?’

‘Hi Mrs. Borowski,’ Bea greeted as Candy’s face peeked into view from the top of the stairs.

‘So glad to see you two!’ she exclaimed, hurriedly stomping down the stairs with an armful of presents. ‘Your father is just finishing up something, he’ll be down in a minute.’

Candy put the hastily wrapped packages on the couch before pulling both girls into a tight hug.

‘Mooooooom,’ Mae whined, feeling the life being squeezed out of her.

‘Mrs. Borowski, I can’t breathe,’ Bea gasped just before the hug ended.

‘How’re the Bright Harbor lovebirds, hon?’ Candy asked, taking the pair’s coats and putting them on the coat rack.

‘They’re great,’ Mae answered. ‘They’re both, like....adults, if you can believe it.’

‘And school?’

Mae sighed. ‘Finals just ended, so we haven’t gotten grades back yet,’ she lied; she got all Bs and Cs, but didn’t have the heart to say it out loud. ‘I got work study though, so I’m taking a few classes for winter semester.’

Candy smiled warmly, turning off the Garbo & Malloy Holiday Spectacular that had been blaring on screen. ‘Proud of you, Mae.’

‘Hey, did someone turn off my special?’ Stan inquired as he thumped down the steps and into the living room.

‘Hi dad,’ Mae said with a small wave.

‘Mae!’ He smiled cheerfully at his daughter before turning to Bea. ‘Oh, and if it isn’t little Miss Santello! I didn’t know you’d be here!’

Candy put her hands on her hips. ‘Stan, I’ve told you all week Bea was coming to dinner.’ She mouthed something Mae couldn’t see, but assumed it was about Bea’s father. ‘Anyway, Bea, please make yourself at home. We’ll be having dinner shortly, but until then, you can open up presents!’

Mae’s cheeks flushed slightly. ‘Mom, you didn’t need to get anything. Especially right now.’

‘I don’t know what you mean,’ Candy said, ignoring the implication. ‘It’s Longest Night, and you deserve a present or two.’

Mae sighed before plopping down on the couch next to the small pile of presents. ‘Hey, this is for me!’ She tore into the paper, noticing her parents watching her from the corner of her eye. ‘It’s....a new journal and some pens.’

‘Pastor K had some supplies left from the annual school drive this fall,’ Candy explained.

Mae forced a smile, not wanting to make her feel bad. ‘Thanks, my old one is almost out of pages.’

‘Here’s another one, kitten,’ Stan said, handing a box to Mae.

She opened it, eyes growing wide when she saw what was inside. ‘Witchdagger tickets? Holy shit!’

‘Language, Mae,’ Candy scolded.

‘Holy heck!’ Mae corrected, pulling them out of the box to inspect them.

‘Maybe you can take your little friend Jeremy with you?’ Stan suggested, winking.

‘I’m going to pretend I don’t know what that wink meant,’ she said, ear twitching slightly, ‘but I’m sure Germ would be pumped to see them! Thanks mom and dad.’

‘We love you, sweetie,’ Candy said, putting her arm around Stan.

‘There’s still something left,’ Mae noted, picking up a package. ‘It’s for Bea!’

‘Oh, Mrs. Borowski, you really didn’t –‘ Bea protested.

‘Nonsense! Open your present, Bea.’

Bea reluctantly took the present from Mae and unwrapped it, looking a little surprised. ‘It’s a....sweater dress?’

‘While Stan’s been at the career center, I decided to learn how to knit!’ Candy stated, earning a small embarrassed look from her husband at the mention of his unsuccessful job hunt. ‘I know how much you like those dark colors, so I figured a new greyscale dress would look nice on you!’

‘I....I don’t know what to say. Thanks, Mrs. Borowski,’ Bea said genuinely, folding the dress and putting it with Mae’s presents.

Candy smiled again before clapping her hands together. ‘Alright, now who’s ready for a Longest Night feast?’

~ • ~

Mae placed the worn out picnic blanket on a patch of snowless grass, securing each corner with a rock before stretching out like a starfish in the center.

‘I’m sooo full,’ she complained, her tummy poking out into the cool air for a moment.

‘Move over, Mae, or I’m going to sit on you and then you’ll throw up,’ Bea warned, watching her friend immediately roll to one side to make room.

Candy and Stan stood a little bit away from them, Stan poking and prodding at the bonfire with a large metal rod. Mae sat up as Bea settled in next to her.

‘They weren’t too awkward, were they?’ Mae asked. ‘They, like, refused to acknowledge that this is the last Longest Night we’ll be having in Possum Springs.’

Bea shrugged. ‘Honestly, I think they just wanted to pretend it was a normal holiday for you.’ The pair watched Mae’s parents talking quietly to each other, unable to make out what was being said. ‘Just let them have the illusion for one night. They have to move in like a week and a half.’

‘I can’t believe they’re moving to Brush Valley,’ Mae said with a sigh. ‘Dad always said how much he hated it there. Mom already got a secretary job at some private religious school though, which is good.’

‘The Valley isn’t too bad. I know a few kids from math camp who lived there,’ Bea assured her.

‘They have housing on the school campus last I heard. It comes with mom’s job, I guess. I dunno if they’d be able to afford anything else right now.’

The two of them looked up, watching the stars twinkle inside of bright constellations. ‘I haven’t done this since I was a kid,’ Bea sighed.

‘Why not?’ Mae asked. ‘It’s a Longest Night tradition.’

‘I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to see the stars anywhere else,’ she admitted.

‘Well, why don’t you move? Get a change of scenery for a bit.’

‘I can’t. I can’t leave my father. I can’t leave _her_ , either. I’m stuck here, Mae. Everyone else has already left. Angus, Gregg, Germ, even you.’ Bea sighed, pulling out a lighter from her coat pocket.

‘I’m just at college,’ Mae promised, ‘I’ll be back before you know it.’

The lighter flashed, burning up the tip of a fresh cigarette. ‘No, you won’t. Your parents are moving. There won’t be a home for you to go back to here.’

‘Then I’ll come visit you,’ Mae offered earnestly. ‘We can have sleepovers like we used to when we were kids.’

‘We’re different than we used to be, Mae.’ She breathed out a cloud of smoke, rising high into the night sky. ‘We can’t keep pretending anymore.’

Mae looked up again, trying to keep the tears from welling around her eyes. Through the blur, she could just barely make out Sterling the Seer, the brightest star sitting on their cheek like a dimple. She sniffled and quickly rubbed at her eyes, ready to blame her tears on the smoke from the bonfire.

Bea sighed to herself, readjusting the hem of her coat. ‘....I could use some help at the shop. Once you graduate, I mean. Creek is starting to get up there and is talking about retiring in a few years. Plus, the extra help would mean I’d have a few free hours a day to take some online courses or something.’

Immediately, Mae’s ears perked up and she turned quickly to her friend, eyes still damp. ‘D-do you really mean it?’ she asked, voice wavering slightly.

Carefully, Bea snubbed her cigarette out on the sole of her boot, tucking the butt into a small baggie that she had pulled out of her pocket. ‘Really,’ she answered, offering up a small smile despite her earlier attempt at nonchalance.

Mae scooted closer to Bea on the blanket, resting her head against Bea’s thick coat. ‘You’re my best friend, Bea.’

‘Happy Longest Night, Maeday.’


End file.
